Car ejector and system including same



Nov. 21, 1967 c. LUDWIG CAR EJECTOR AND SYSTEM INCLUDING SAME 5 Sheets-Sheet ,1

Filed Sept. 20, 1965 INVENTOR CA AL L UDW/G l 'lml" ATTORNEYS 1967 c LUDWIG 3,353,692

CAR EJECTOR AND SYSTEM INCLUDING SAME Filed Sept. 20, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR c421 LUDW/G JAM/ ATTORNEYS V vmnm Nov. 21, 1967 c. LUDWIG 3,353,692

' CAR EJECTOR AND SYSTEM INCLUDING SAME Filed Sept. 20, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR 04A! 1 yaw/6 gamzw ATTORNEYS United States Patent Oil-ice 3,353,692 Patented Nov. 21, 1967 3,353,692 CAR EJECTOR AND SYSTEM INCLUDING SAME Carl Ludwig, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to McDowell- Wellman Engineering Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Sept. 20, 1965, Ser. No. 488,572 14 Claims. (Cl. 214-55) ABSTRACT (BE THE DISQLQSURE An apparatus for ejecting cars from a rotary dumper. The apparatus includes a carriage, which moves parallel to the longitudinal axis of the dumper, and a car pushing arm which is spring biased and rotatably mounted on the carriage. Means are provided adjacent each end of the carriage trackway for engaging and deflecting or moving the arm to a position where the arm biasing means takes over to move and hold the arm alternately in car pushing and retracted positions.

This invention is particularly well suited for use in ejecting railroad cars from a rotary dumper used in a system for unloading individual railroad cars and returning and regrouping them for movement away from the dumping site. Therefore, the following description of the invention will be in relation thereto.

Many systems presently employed for unloading individual railroad cars, require the use of a diesel or steam driven locomotive to move or push the cars into the dumper. The first car of the train is moved into the dumper and uncoupled. The remaining cars of the train are backed away from the rotary dumper. The car in the dumper is then rotated or tipped and its contents dumped. The remaining cars of the train are successively moved into the dumper, each car being utilized to push the preceding car from the dumper.

In such a system, the couplers on adjacent cars must first be opened then closed to prevent recoupling of the cars when the car is pushed from the dumper, and then reopened to permit recoupling with previously dumped cars as the train of cars is reformed. This operation is time consuming and expensive. Then too, accidents happen, which sometimes result in the loss of limbs of men required to open and close the couplers.

This invention simplifies the unloading operation by providing a car ejector in the dumper for independently pushing the cars from the dumper. The coupling and uncoupling operation is substantially reduced at it is only necessary to uncouple each car from the train for movement into the dumper. At least one coupler remains open as the car is pushed from the dumper by the ejector. This not only saves time but eliminates the hazardous job of attending the couplers.

Briefly stated, this invention is in a car ejector for a rotary dumper. In accordance herewith there is provided in the dumper a trackway having its longitudinal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the dumper. A carriage is movable along the trackway and carries an arm which is rotated into engagement with an individual railroad car in the dumper to push the car from the dumper. The carriage arm is held in biased relation and rotates in a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the dumper. Means are provided adjacent each end of the carriage trackway for engaging and moving the arm to a position where the biasing means takes over to move and hold the arm alternately in car pushing and retracted positions. The rotary dumper with the car ejector is used in conjunction with a method for unloading individual railroad cars. In accordance herewith each car is uncoupled and moved into the dumper. The car is tipped or rotated and the contents dumped. The car is independently moved from the dumper prior to moving the next succeeding car into the dumper.

The following description of the invention will be better understood by having reference to the annexed drawings, wherein.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventionally designed dumper and an embodiment of the car ejector of this invention used in conjunction therewith;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-section of the car ejector;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the car ejector in relation to a conventionally designed coupler of a railroad car;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the car ejector;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged top view of a fragmentary portion of the car ejector;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of fragmentary portion of the car ejector taken in the plane indicated by the line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken in the plane indicated by the line 77 of FIG. 2, and shows a dog or latch used for retracting the arm of the car ejector into its disengaged position;

FIG. 8 is a side view of a system for unloading individual railroad cars; and

FIG. 9 is a top view of the system for unloading individual railroad cars.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1-7 of the annexed drawings, there is shown a rotary railroad car dumper generally indicated at 10. The rotary dumper 10is designed to accommodate a conventionally designed railroad car indicated at 11. The railroad car 11 is mounted on a pair of trucks, e.g. truck 12, adjacent its ends. The railroad car 11 moves along a trackway generally indicated at 13, disposed within the dumper 10. the trackway 13 is composed of rails 14 and 15 on which the wheels of the trucks ride, e.g. wheels 16 and 17 of truck 12. The railroad car 11 is clamped on the trackway 13 by a plurality of clamps, e.g. clamps 18 and 19, slidably mounted on the rotary dumper 10.

A car ejector in the form of a carriage generally indicated at 20, is disposed within the rotary dumper 10 for pushing the railroad cars from the dumper 10. The carriage 10 is movable along a trackway generally indicated at 21, whose longitudinal axis parallels the longitudinal axis of the dumper 10 and trackway 13.

The carriage 20 has an elongated body portion 25. The carriage body 25 is preferably mounted on two pairs of spaced wheels 26 and 27, and 28 and 29, respectively. The pairs of wheels 26 and 27, and 28 and 29 are mounted on the carriage body 25 by any suitable means, e.g. axles 30 and 31, respectively. The axles 30 and 31 are at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the carriage body 25. A pair of enlarged wheels 32 and 33 are mounted in slots 34 and 35, respectively, disposed in the carriage body 25 on either side of the axle 30, by any suitable means, e.g. pins or axles 36 and 37, respectively. The axles 36 and 37 are at right angles to the axles 30 and 31, and the longitudinal axis of the carriage body 25. Thus, the wheels 36 and 37 are mounted at right angles to the wheels 26, 27, 28 and 29, but all wheels are movable along the trackway 21.

A pushing arm 40 is mounted on the carriage body 25 for rotation into pushing engagement with a railroad car positioned on the trackway 13 within the dumper 10. The arm 4!), preferably, engages the car 11 along its coupler axis 41 (FIG. 3). The arm 40 is rotat-ably mounted on the carriage body 25 by any suitable means. For example, the arm 40 is mounted on a bifurcated end 42 of the carriage body 25 by any suitable means, e.g. pivot pin 43. The pivot pin 43 is locked in position by a washer 44 removably mounted on the bifurcated body end 42,

and extending into a correspondingly configured recess 45 in the pin 43.

Normally, the dumper is built, or located so that the railroad car trackway 13 lies in a horizonal plane. The arm when in pushing engagement with the car 11, preferably, moves in a plane which is angularly disposed to the plane of the trackway 13. This is done to permit building the carriage trackway 21 in an unobstructive corner of the dumper 10.

The free arm end 47, or that portion of the pushing arm 40 which engages the railroad car 11, is provided with a pushing pad 48. The pad 48 prevents wear and tear on the arm end 47.

As previously indicated, the wheels 26-29, 32 and 33 are movable along the trackway 21. Pairs of opposed rails and 51, 52 and 53, and 54- and 55 are mounted within the trackway 21. In particular, the wheels 27 and 29 engage and are movable between the rails 50 and 51, the wheels 26 and 28 engage and are movable between the rails 52 and 53, and the wheels 32 and 33 engage and are movable between the rails 54 and 55, respectively. The coaction between the opposed rails and the wheels keeps the carriage body 25 from moving laterally in any direction within the trackway 21. In this manner the carriage body 25 is guided along the trackway 21.

The carriage body 25 is moved along the trackway 21 by any suitable means, e.g. a hydraulically operated piston 56. The piston 56 is secured to the carriage body 25 by any suitable means, e.g. a stud 57 secured to and extending from the bifurcated body end 42, and rotatably mounted to a bifurcated piston head 58 (FIG. 6) by a pivot pin 59. The hydraulically operated piston 56 reciprocates within a cylinder 60 mounted on the adjacent framework of the dumper 10.

The pushing arm 46 is biased in its car engaging and pushing position indicated at 61 (FIG. 3), and in its retracted position indicated at 62 (FIG. 3). In its fully retracted position, the arm 40 is substantially aligned with the carriage body 25 and the pushing pad 48 rides along a rail 63 (P16. 1) in the trackway 21.

Any suitable means generally indicated at 77, may be used for biasing the arm 40 in its retracted and pushing positions. For example, a stud 64 (FIG. 6) is secured to, and extends from the arm 46 intermediate the pin '43 and the free arm end 47. The free end 65 of the stud 64 extends beyond the carriage body 25. A rod 66 is mounted on the stud end 65 by any suitable means, e.g. pin-67, and extends along the carriage body 25 in a direction away from the. carriages bifurcated end 42. The rod 66 is rotatably mounted on a bifurcated end 68 of another -rod 69 by any suitable means, e.g. pin 70. The rod 69 extends through an opening 71 in a bracket 72 secured to the carriage body 25. A washer 73 and nut 74 are mounted on the free end 75 of the rod 69. A coil spring 76 surrounds the rod 69 between the washer 73 and the bracket 72 and biases the bifurcated rod end 68 against the bracket 72. The rod 66 in turn is biased and pulls against the pushing arm 40, rotating it when the longitudinal axes of the biasing means 77 and arm 40 are not aligned. The stud 64 is, preferably, disposed along the longitudinal axis of the arm 40. The longitudinal axis of the carriage body 25 and arm 40, preferably, passes through the center of the pin 43. Thus, when the arm 40 is positioned so that its longitudinal axis is angularly disposed to the longitudinal axis of the carriage body 25, the arm 40 will be pulled either to its car engaging and pushing position 61 or its fully retracted position 62.

A stop 80 is secured between the spaced arms 81 and 82 of the carriage bodys bifurcated end 42. The stop 80 is designed to engage and hold the pushing arm 40 in its car engaging and pushing position 61.

A dog or latch 83 (FIGS. 2 and 7) is mounted adjacent thecarriage trackway 21 for engaging the pushing arm 40 upon completion of its pushing cycle. The latch 83 is designed to engage and rotate the arm 40 from its car engaging and pushing position 61 to its retracted position 62. The latch 83 is rotatably mounted adjacent the trackway by any suitable means, e.g. pin 84. Latch end 85 extends towards the arm 40 and engages the arm 40 as it is pushing the car 11. The arm 40 when in pushing engagement, rides over the latch 83 causing it to rotate about the pin 84 (note dotted position 86 of latch 83 in FIG. 7). When in its unengaged or normally inactive position, the latch end 87 engages a stop 88. The stop 88 holds the latch 83 firmly in its unengaged position, only permitting it to rotate in the direction in which the arm 46 moves when in car engaging and pushing position 61. When the carriage body 25 moves in the opposite direction along the trackway 21, the latch 83 engages the arm 411 and rotates it about the pin 43 from its car engaging and pushing position 61 to a point where the biasing means 77 takes over and pulls its retracted position 62. The arm 40 is biased in its retracted position .62 while the carriage body 25 moves back along the trackway 21 for repositioning the ejector 29 for engaging another railroad car moved into the dumper 10.

A cylinder 91 is mounted on the framework of the dumper 11) adjacent the carriage trackway 21. A hydraulically operated piston 90 reciprocates in the cylinder 91. The piston 90 has a roller 92 mounted on its end 93. When the car ejector 20 is in position to engage another car moved into the dumper 10, the piston 91) is activated. The roller 92 engages the arm 40 and moves it from its retracted position 62 to a point Where the biasing means 77 takes over and pulls the arm 40 in to its car engaging and pushing position 61.

As previously indicated, the pushing pad 48, preferably, engages the car along the coupler axis 41, which means the pad 48 engages the fingers of the coupler, e.g.

, fingers 94- of coupler 95. This engagement causes the coupler 95 to close. However, the coupler at the other end of the railroad car remains open, and this is :all that is necessary for regrouping and reforming the cars.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 8 and 9, there is shown a system generally indicated at 166, for unloading individual rail-road cars in a dumper and regrouping the dumped cars into a train. The car ejector 20 is particularly well suited for use in such a system.

The dumper 10 is normally located in a horizontal plane, i.'e. the trackway 13 extending through the dumper is level. The trackway 101 leadingto the dumper 10 may be sloped to allow the waiting cars, e.g., car 102, .to move by gravity into the dumper 10. A conventionally designed retarder 1-03 is disposed in the trackway 161 to control movement of the cars into the dumper 10. The car 102 nearest the dumper 10, is uncoupled and moved into the dumper 16 by any suitable means, e.g., a mechanical railroad car mover 113 described in my co-pending application Ser. No. 365,052 filed May 4, 1964, now Patent No. 3,262,399. When the railroad car, e.g., car 102, is Within the dumper 10, both of its couplers are open. The :arm 46 of the car-ejector 20 engages the coupler to push the car from the dumper 1%. In doing so, the coupler adjacent the arm is closed. However, the other coupler is still open.

The railroad car 162 when it is pushed from the dumper 11), preferably, moves by gravity down an inclined trackway 104 leading from the dumper 10 onto an oppositely inclined trackway 10.5. The car 102 then moves, by gravity, onto another trackway 167 with a conventionally designed retarder 108. The trackway 107 is, preferably, laid in the direction of the lead-in trackway 101. The .car 162 recouples with the last adjacent car 109 of a train 119 of previously dumped cars. The locked couplers air hoses are connected, by hand, and the train 109 with attached car 102, ,is moved by any suitable means, e.g. a conventionally designed Barney 111, along the trackway 16.7 until the car 162 rests on the retarder 108. This operation is repeated until all of the cars have been dumped and regrouped. When the dumped cars are formed into a train, they are moved from the dumping site in either direction over track 107 or track 112, respectively, by any suitable means, e.g. a diesel or steam driven locomotive. The track 114 is used by the locomotive to by-pass the dumper Thus, there have been provided a new and novel car ejector located within a dumping apparatus used in conjunction with a system for unloading individual railroad cars. This system saves time and manpower by largely reducing coupling and uncoupling of the railroad cars. This is accomplished by independently ejecting the railroad cars from the dumper with at least one of their couplers in an open position.

Other modes of applying the principle of this invention may be employed instead of those specifically set forth above, changes being made as regards the details herein disclosed, provided the elements set forth in any of the following claims, or the equivalent of such, be employed.

It is, therefore, particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed as the invention:

1. A railroad car ejector for a rotary dumper, comprising:

(a) a trackway within the dumper and having its longitudinal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the dumper;

(b) a carriage movable along the trackway;

(c) means for guiding the carriage along the track- (d) means for moving the carriage along the track- (e) an arm mounted on the carriage for rotating into pushing engagement with a car positioned within the dumper, said arm rotating in a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the dumper;

(f) means adjacent one end of the trackway for engaging and moving the arm into pushing relation with a car; and

(g) means adjacent the other end of the trackway for moving the arm into a retracted position where the carriage and arm can be returned for ejecting another car positioned in the dumper.

2. The railroad car ejector of claim 1, which includes:

(h) means coacting with the carriage for biasing the arm such that when the arm is alternately moved to a predetermined position by means (f) and (g), the biasing means takes over to move and hold the arm in a car pushing and retracted position, respectively.

3. A railroad car ejector for a rotary dumper comprising:

(a) a trackway within the dumper and having its longitudinal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the dumper;

(b) a carriage movable along the trackway;

(c) means for guiding the carriage along the trackway;

(d) means for moving the carriage along the trackway including a hydraulically operated piston coacting between the dumper and carriage;

(e) an arm mounted on the carriage for rotating into engagement with a railroad car in a dumper and pushing it from the dumper; and

(f) means for rotating the arm including:

(1) means coacting between the carriage and arm for biasiig the arm in its car engaging and pushing position, and in a retracted position out of engagement with the railroad car;

(2) means for rotating the arm from its car engaging and pushing position to a position where the biasing means takes over and moves the arm into its retracted position; and

(3) separate means for rotating the arm from its retracted position to a position where the biasing means takes over and moves the arm into its car engaging and pushing position.

4. The railroad car ejector of claim 3, wherein the arm biasing means (g) includes, at least one spring 6 biased rod secured to the arm between its mounted end and its free end which engages the car.

5. The railroad car ejector of claim 3, wherein the means for rotating the arm into its retracted position includes a latch mounted in the dumper adjacent the trackway, for engaging the arm after it has pushed the railroad car from the dumper, and rotating it into its retracted position wherein the arm is substantially longitudinally aligned with the carrier.

6. The railroad car ejector of claim 3, wherein the separate means for rotating the arm from its retracted position into its car engaging and pushing position includes, a hydraulically-operated piston moving in a direction angularly disposed to the direction in which the carriage moves, the piston engaging and rotating the arm.

7. The railroad car ejector of claim 3, wherein the carriage guiding means (0) includes, a plurality of oppositely disposed pairs of rails, and wheels mounted on the carriage and moving between and along corresponding pairs of said rails.

8. A railroad car ejector for a rotary dumper, comprising:

(a) a trackway within the dumper, and having its longitudinal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the dumper, the trackway comprising pairs of oppositely disposed rails;

(b) a carriage mounted on a plurality of wheels coacting with corresponding pairs of said rails for guiding the carriage along the trackway;

(c) an arm mounted on the carriage for rotation from a retracted position wherein it is substantially aligned with the carriage, to a railroad car engaging and pushing position wherein the arm is substantially at right angles to the carriage;

(d) means for rotatably mounting the arm to the carriage;

(e) means for moving the carriage along the track- Way including, a hydraulically-operated piston secured to the carriage and reciprocating in a cylinder mounted on the dumper;

(f) means for biasing the arm in its car engaging and pushing position, and in its retracted position, said means including at least one spring biased rod coact: ing between the carriage and the arm;

(g) means for rotating the arm from its retracted position into its car engaging and pushing position, said means including a hydraulically-operated piston mounted adjacent the trackway and at the end of the dumper through which the railroad car moves into the dumper, the piston engaging the arm and rotating it out of its aligned position with the carriage towards the car in the dumper to a point where the arm biasing means takes over and moves the arm into its car engaging and pushing position;

(h) separate means for rotating the arm from its car engaging and pushing position to its retracted position, said means including:

( 1) a latch mounted adjacent the trackway for engaging the arm when it has pushed the car from the dumper, the latch extending into the plane in which the arm moves as it pushes the car from the dumper, the arm engaging and rotating the latch as it moves in one direction, the latch, engaging and rotating the arm as it moves in the opposite direction, the latch rotating the arm to a point where the arm biasing means takes over and moves the arm into its retracted position.

9. A system for unloading a single car uncoupled from a train of other loaded cars comprising:

(a) a railroad car rotary dumper for holding the car and tipping it whereby its contents are dumped;

(b) means for moving the uncoupled car into the dumper; and

(c) means for ejecting the railroad car from the dumper after the car is dumped, said means includmg:

i (1) a trackwayiwithin the dumper, and having its longitudinal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the dumper;

(2) a carriage movable along the trackway;

(3) means for guiding the carriage along the trackway;

(4) means for moving the carriage along the trackway;

(5) an arm mounted on the carriage for rotating into pushing engagement with a car positioned within the dumper, said arm rotating in a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the dumper;

(6) means adjacent one end of the traekway for engaging and moving the arm into pushing relation with the car; and

(7) means adjacent the other end of the trackway for moving the arm into a retracted position where the carriage and arm can be returned for ejecting another car 7 positioned within the dumper.

1'0. The system of claim 9 wherein the carriage moving means includes a hydraulically operated piston coacting between the carriage and the dumper.

11. A system for unloading a single car uncoupled from a train of other loaded cars comprising:

(a) a railroad car rotary dumper for holding the car and tipping it and whereby the contents of the car are dumped;

(b) means for moving the uncoupled car into the dumper; and

(0) means for ejecting the railroad car from the dumper after the car is dumped, said means including:

(1) a trackway within the dumper, and having its longitudinal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the dumper;

(2) a carriage movable along the trackway;

(3) means for guiding the carriage along the trackway;

(.4) means for moving the carriage along the trackway including a hydraulically operated piston coacting between the carriage and dumper; (5) an arm mounted on the carriage for rotating into engagement with a railroad car positioned in the dumper and pushing-it from the dumper;

and (6) means for rotating the arm including:

(I) means for biasing the arm in its car engaging and pushing position and in a retracted position;

(11) means for rotating the arm from its car engaging and pushing position to a position where the biasing means takes over and moves the arm into its retracted position;

(III) separate means for rotating the arm from its retracted position to a position where the biasing means takes over and moves the arm into its car engaging and pushing position.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the arm biasing means includes, at least one spring biased rod coacting between the carriage and the arm.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the means for rotating the arm from its car engaging and pushing position into its retractedposition includes, a latch mounted adjacent the trackway for engaging and rotating the arm after it has pushed the car from the dumper and the carriage is moved back along the trackway to engage another car moved into the dumper.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the separate means for rotating the arm from its retracted position into its car engaging and pushing position, includes a hydraulically-operated piston mounted adjacent the trackway, the piston moving in a direction angularly disposed to the direction in which the carriage moves.

References (Jited UNITED STATES PATENTS 776,609 11/1904 Bighouse 214-56 1,544,988 7/1925 Hutton 214-- 3,220,576 11/1965 Cheeck 21455 HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT G. SHERIDAN, Examiner. 

1. A RAILROAD CAR EJECTOR FOR A ROTARY DUMPER, COMPRISING: (A) A TRACKWAY WITHIN THE DUMPER AND HAVING ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE DUMPER; (B) A CARRIAGE MOVABLE ALONG THE TRACKWAY; (C) MEANS FOR GUIDING THE CARRIAGE ALONG THE TRACKWAY (D) MEANS FOR MOVING THE CARRIAGE ALONG THE TRACKWAY; (E) AN ARM MOUNTED ON THE CARRIAGE FOR ROTATING INTO PUSHING ENGAGEMENT WITH A CAR POSITIONED WITHIN THE DUMPER, SAID ARM ROTATING IN A PLANE PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE DUMPER; (F) MEANS ADJACENT ONE END OF THE TRACKWAY FOR ENGAGING AND MOVING THE ARM INTO PUSHING RELATION WITH A CAR; AND (G) MEANS ADJACENT THE OTHER END OF THE TRACKWAY FOR MOVING THE ARM INTO A RETRACTED POSITION WHERE THE CARRIAGE AND ARM CAN BE RETURNED FOR EJECTING ANOTHER CAR POSITIONED IN THE DUMPER. 